March 16, 2012

Geek of the Week: Meet Rachel

What's your name?

Rachel

Where are you from?

Michigan, but currently living in Vermont

What does it mean to you to be a geek/nerd?

There's a quote I saw that said being a nerd just means you're really excited about a particular thing and I really liked that description. I prefer to take it further though, and say it has to be something not super popular, mainstream or everyday. For example, no one calls people who are really excited about football nerds.

What are 2–5 things you're particularly passionate about?

Music, food politics, art and storytelling.

Why are you passionate about these things?

Music is a very strong emotional pillar for me and I think that is true for most people. I am VERY particular about what I like to listen to. I also love playing music, though I don't play nearly as much as I would like.

Food politics are important to me because they affect everyone everyday. I am very conscious about not only what I put into my body, but where it came from and who produced it.

And art ... well I wouldn't have a reason for living without it. I need it—a pencil, a brush, a stick in the dirt ... I have to draw. And when I realized I could tell my stories through sequential art, well something inside me clicked and I knew I had to pursue comics as a life career.

I don't tend to keep my talents hidden, but I guess not many people know I can play various musical instruments and sing, and even less know that I used to play in two punk bands. I'm also really good at telling bad jokes, but I think most people know that.

What was your favorite book/movie/TV show/other from 2011?

Book: Hark! A Vagrant, Habibi
Movie: The Muppets and the FINAL Harry Potter!
TV show: Portlandia, Community, Doctor Who

What book/movie/TV show/other are you most looking forward to in 2012?

When I die, the first question I am going to ask God is: "Where the #$%* did all my missing socks go?"

Rachel's bonus questions:

What musical instruments do you play?

My musical talents are mostly used-tos—I USED to play drums and bass—I super miss the drums sometimes.

I can still play piano, still sing I guess, haven't played violin in ages, and I played the trumpet actively for 9 years so I imagine if I picked it up again I could pull it off, as I probably could with the french horn.

What would you like to be doing five years from now?

As for long-term goals, that's actually a terrible question to ask me because I don't have any. I think people who make 5 years goals either a. set themselves up for failure or b. potentially prevent themselves from experiencing something better.